According to Nimoy's family, he died this morning Bel Air California as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nimoy had been hospitalized on Monday following complications from this same condition which he personally blamed on a long-held smoking habit.

An actor for more than sixty years, Nimoy was best known by his many fans as the iconic Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek television series. It was a role he reprised several times for feature films, most recently in the J.J. Abrams movies Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness. He also had roles in shows like Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible and, more recently, Fringe, among others. Outside of roles on screen he performed as a voice actor in properties such as Transformers: The Movie, Star Trek: The Animated Series and a variety of video games including Civilization IV. He also directed several films, was a published poet, a photographer and, on occasion, a singer.

Responding to his death former co-stars William Shatner and George Takei both expressed their grief. "I loved him like a brother," said Shatner in Tweet. "We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love." Takei in his statement said that "We return you now to the star" and that affirmed that Nimoy had taught people to "Live Long and Prosper." It's a sentiment that I think many of us can share in.